Maybe Time Out Really Does Work with Taki

Taki sometimes gets too out of control in her play, biting and scratching. I think, because she did not have sibling kittens to play with as a baby and young cat, she never learned how hurtful that play is, so she continues with it.  That is probably my fault, but from an early age, I tried to dissuade those behaviors. I usually try to redirect her. 

When I was doing physical therapy exercises before, and when I resumed this time, she was fascinated with my feet when I did certain exercises. I prefer to be in my stocking feet in the house, but often wore shoes when I did the PT exercises before.  When I wore shoes, her attentions to my feet did not bother me.  But, in my stocking feet, her attentions are almost painful.  More ticklish, but almost painful, and very distracting.

The first time I did PT, I did my best to discourage Taki from her attentions as much as possible, but put her in "time out" only once or twice. "Time out" is the bottom cage of the cat stroller, which has a prominent place in the living room.  All three cats like to sit or lay in the top cage of this double decker stroller from Kittywalk https://www.kittywalk.com/double_decker.asp. I leave the doors to both levels open, but the door to the top level blocks the lower level.  So, sometimes a cat will go in the lower level, but they usually choose the top level.

Well, this time, doing PT, Taki again could not resist my feet, and attacked them consistently, at the same exercise each night.  After a couple of nights of loud "nos", I did put her in time out when she started misbehaving.  I put her in "time out" two nights in a row. She was not in for long, and I did not finish the PT sessions before I took her out, I just finished the parts of the sessions that set her to grabbing and attacking my feet.

Now, I have noticed that when I do PT, Taki stays away from me, until I get to the offending set of exercises.  Then, she come into the living room, watches, but does not grab for my feet.  Maybe "time out" does work.  Recently, I had told a friend I did not think "time out" worked for Taki.   I think Taki has a learning disability.  She is slow to try things, and doing something once does not mean she knows how to do it again. (Unlike Sake and Haiku.  Doing something once makes it a tradition for them.)

So, maybe time out does work for Taki, after all!